User blog:ReDquinox/Age of Rapture lore
This blog will give an insight on the lore of the Age of Rapture universe we came up with. Any questions can be directed at Sean, Vess, Fire, Zero or myself. Introduction Age of Rapture is a futuristic science fiction universe set in the twenty-ninth century. After massive natural disasters wreak havoc on Earth in 2240, the Holy Roman and Ottoman empires of old rise again. Using an extraterrestrial element known as Caelium, mankind then undergoes rapid technological advance and starts colonising the galaxy. By the 29th century, humanity has colonised large portions of the Milky Way galaxy. Most of these territories are ruled by the Holy Roman or the Ottoman empire, both of which have become totalitarian, militaristic governments. Timeline Genesis Rise of the empires On the 21st of April, 2240, the world is struck by a disastrous rain of meteorites. Large chunks of rock impact all over the planet, destroying cities and ruining the harvests. A particularly large meteorite, with a diametre of over thirty metres, impacts nearby the Russian city Yekaterinburg, the resulting shockwave destroying everything in a radius of nearly twenty kilometres. In result of this apocalyptic event, the planet is in shambles. Governments start collapsing, food starts becoming scarce because of the destroyed harvests, and some even start to believe that this is a sign from whatever god they might believe in. In the turmoil, many people turn to their faith; many Christians start asking the current Pope, Sixtus VII, what the Christian faith has to say about this. Sixtus, a sly man with a military background, takes his chance; he tells the Christians that the meteorite storm is a sign from God, just like the floods from Noach's time, and with the support of the people, he proclaims the return of the Holy Roman empire. The new empire rapidly conquers Europe and the Americas, and sets its sights on conquering Russia. The Christians aren't the only ones to conquer large portions of land, however. The Muslim people watch as the Holy Roman empire annexes more and more territories, and decide to combat the impending threat by electing the first Caliph since the end of the first world war, Selim IV. The Caliph proclaims the Ottoman empire and, in similar fashion to the Pope, starts conquering the Middle East, Africa and southern Asia. In order to protect the Asian territories from the Holy Roman forces advancing through Russia, Ottoman forces also invade Russia from the south and southeast. The Battle for Russia The armies of the Holy Roman and Ottoman empires, driven by zealous expansionism, eventually clash in Russia. First contact is made nearby Tara, a town nearby the city of Omsk, where Ottoman scouts come to find that the town has already been occupied by Roman forces. The Ottoman forces attack in large numbers, and manage to take the town, but the Romans soon retaliate and retake it. It goes back and forth like this for weeks, until eventually, Pope Sixtus proclaims a holy Crusade and reinstates the knightly orders of old: the Knights Templar, the Knights Hospitaller, the Order of Saint Lazarus, the Order of Santiago and the Teutonic Order are recreated as elite military forces, with the Order of the Holy Sepulchre taking the role of protectors of the Vatican and the Pope. In the following two years, Tara and the region around it is turned into a massive battlefield, where in only two years, nearly six million casualties fall, four million more than in the battle of Stalingrad. The battle results in a Roman victory. While the battle for Russia wages on, civilians start clearing the debris and rubble created by the meteorite rains. A Chinese farmer family, whose farm had been destroyed by a large meteorite, come across something remarkable; the meteorite that had impacted on their house had split open, revealing an orange, crystalline material. When they accidentally bring it into contact with an iron knife, it starts to glow. Category:Blog posts